Profile strip arrangement

ABSTRACT

A profile strip arrangement includes a profile strip made of a profile material. The profile strip has a first connecting area for creating a connection to an edge area of a windshield of a motor vehicle, and a second connecting area which is connectable to a water tray cover that is to be arranged adjacent to the windshield. The first connecting area has a surface section that is free of the profile material. The surface section faces the edge area of the windshield, and at least a partial area of the surface section is covered by a double-sided adhesive tape which provides an adhesive connection to the edge area of the windshield. The surface section is formed by a surface of an additional element that is made of metal or by a surface of a coating of the additional element.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATIONS

This application is a U.S. National Stage Application under 35 U.S.C. §371 of International Application No. PCT/EP2017/055352 filed on Mar. 7,2017, and claims benefit to European Patent Application No. EP16160642.1 filed on Mar. 16, 2016. The International Application waspublished in German on Sep. 21, 2017, as WO 2017/157726 A1 under PCTArticle 21(2).

FIELD

The invention relates to a profile strip arrangement, comprising aprofile strip made of a profile material, having a first connecting areafor purposes of creating a connection to an edge area of the windshieldof a motor vehicle, and having a second connecting area for purposes ofcreating a connection to a part that is adjacent to the windshield.

BACKGROUND

Profile strip arrangements of the above-mentioned type are disclosed,for example, in German utility model DE 20 2008 013 133 U1. Thispublication proposes the use of a connecting strip to attach the profilestrip to the rear surface of the windshield, thereby creating a simple,fast and cost-effective connection. An example of a connecting strip isa double-sided adhesive tape of the kind disclosed in German patentapplication DE 10 2012 112 663 A1.

Another refinement is known from German patent application DE 10 2008003 252 A1. This document proposes using not only a double-sidedadhesive tape, but also an adhesive section that has been applied whilein the free-flowing state in order to create the stiffest possibleconnection between a profile strip and a windshield.

Another refinement is disclosed in German patent application DE 10 2012112 674 A1. This publication proposes that a double-sided adhesive tapebe integrally bonded to an additional adhesive bead in the area of afront edge in order to prevent the adhesive tape from peeling off.

SUMMARY

In an embodiment, the present invention provides a profile striparrangement which includes a profile strip made of a profile material.The profile strip has a first connecting area for creating a connectionto an edge area of a windshield of a motor vehicle, and a secondconnecting area which is connectable to a part in the form of a watertray cover that is to be arranged adjacent to the windshield. The firstconnecting area has at least one surface section that is free of theprofile material. The at least one surface section faces the edge areaof the windshield, and at least a partial area of the at least onesurface section is covered by an adhesive section in the form of adouble-sided adhesive tape which provides an adhesive connection to theedge area of the windshield. The at least one surface section is formedby a surface of an additional element that is made of metal or by asurface of a coating of the additional element.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be described in even greater detail belowbased on the exemplary figures. The invention is not limited to theexemplary embodiments. All features described and/or illustrated hereincan be used alone or combined in different combinations in embodimentsof the invention. The features and advantages of various embodiments ofthe present invention will become apparent by reading the followingdetailed description with reference to the attached drawings whichillustrate the following:

FIG. 1 a side view of a first embodiment of a profile strip arrangement,comprising a profile strip with an additional element;

FIG. 2 the profile strip arrangement according to FIG. 1, additionallycomprising an adhesive section;

FIG. 3 the profile strip arrangement according to FIG. 2, additionallycomprising a windshield;

FIG. 4 a side view of another embodiment of a profile strip arrangement,comprising at least an additional element in the form of a reinforcementinsert;

FIG. 5 a side view of another embodiment of a profile strip arrangement;

FIG. 6 a side view of another embodiment of a profile strip arrangement;

FIG. 7 a perspective view of a reinforcement insert of the profile striparrangement according to FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 a side view of another embodiment of a profile strip arrangement;and

FIG. 9 a side view of another embodiment of a profile strip arrangement,with a profile strip that has a first connecting section with a U-shapedconfiguration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The above-mentioned constructions have proven to be too expensive inactual practice. Before this backdrop, embodiments of the presentinvention improve a profile strip arrangement of the above-mentionedtype in such a way that it can be produced cost-effectively.

This is achieved according to embodiments of the invention in that thefirst connecting area has at least one surface section that is free ofthe profile material, whereby the free surface section is formed by thesurface of an additional element that is made of metal or by the surfaceof a coating of the additional element.

According to embodiments of the invention, in the first connecting area,a surface section is provided that is free of profile material. In agenerally known manner, the profile material is a plastic material, forinstance, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), blends of polyvinyl chloride andpoly(acrylonitrile-co-butadiene-co-styrene) (PVC/ABS) or polypropylene(PP). Particularly polypropylene has proven to be sturdy and resistantin profile strip arrangements. The profile material, however, does nothave any optimal properties when it comes to creating an integral bondto the windshield or to connecting layers situated in between.

According to an embodiment of the invention, in the area of the surfacesection that is free of the profile material, a surface is provided thatis made of a different material. The carrier of this surface that ismade of a different material is an additional element made of metal.

The additional element is especially a flat body that is arranged atleast in partial sections of the first connecting area.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the additional element ismade of metal, especially of steel or of a steel alloy or of aluminum orof an aluminum alloy. Such a metal additional element exhibits betteradhesive properties than the profile material.

It is possible for the surface of the additional element to be thesurface that is arranged in the area of the surface section that is freeof the profile material. However, it is likewise possible for theadditional element to be coated; in this case, the surface section thatis free of the profile material is formed by a surface that is made ofthe coating material and that is supported by the additional element.The coating can be, for instance, a protective layer or coupling layer.

In order to achieve a simple and strong connection between the firstconnecting area of the profile strip and the edge area of thewindshield, it is preferable for the first connecting area to have alower connecting section which interacts with the inside of the edgearea of the windshield, and/or for the first connecting area to have alateral connecting section that interacts with a face of the edge areaof the windshield, and/or for the first connecting area to have an upperconnecting section that interacts with the outside of the edge area ofthe windshield, and for the at least one free surface section to bearranged on the lower connecting section and/or on the lateralconnecting section and/or on the upper connecting section. In apreferred embodiment, at least one lower connecting section is providedthat interacts with the inside of the edge area of the windshield. Thislower connecting section makes it possible to create a sturdy connectionwith a relatively large surface area between the profile strip and theinside of the edge area of the windshield.

In addition or as an alternative to this, however, it is also possiblefor a free surface section to be provided on a lateral connectingsection of the first connecting area.

An upper connecting section of a first connecting area is providedespecially in the case of profile strips that have a so-called U-shapedconnection of the profile strip to the edge area of the windshield. Inthis U-shaped connection, there is a lower connecting section as well asa lateral connecting section and also an upper connecting section,whereby the lower connecting section and the upper connecting sectionform the legs of a “U” and wrap around the edge area of the windshield.

A particularly simple and compact connection option between the profilestrip and the windshield is created when the free surface section facesthe edge area of the windshield.

The profile strip arrangement according to the invention is especiallysuitable for profile strips that have a receiving space with a U-shapedor V-shaped profile in the second connecting area for purposes ofreceiving a latching element of the part that is adjacent to thewindshield, particularly an air inlet panel (also referred to as a watertray cover). Such second connecting areas are disclosed, for example, inEuropean patent application EP 2 123 497 A1.

It is possible for the additional element to be arranged only in thefirst connecting area, where it extends exclusively in the free surfacesection. In this manner, an additional element, which is relativelysmall and easy to produce, is sufficient in order to create betterpreconditions for an integral bond between the profile material and thewindshield.

However, it can also be preferable for the bottom as well as the top ofthe additional element to be covered with profile material in the areaof a partial section of the additional element. Such an additionalelement therefore has at least one partial area in which the additionalelement is anchored in the profile material of the profile strip.

The above-mentioned partial section can especially be a free end of theadditional element and/or a section of the additional element facing thesecond connecting area. As a result, the additional element is optimallyprotected against detachment from the profile material.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention, it is provided thatthe profile strip has a central section which connects the firstconnecting area and the second connecting area to each other, and thatthe additional element has openings in the area of the central section,especially in the form of perforations. This allows a further optimizedanchoring of the additional element in the profile material of theprofile strip.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, it is provided for theadditional element to be formed by a reinforcement insert that stiffensthe profile strip. Such a reinforcement insert can especially comprisefoils or sheets made of metal, particularly steel or a steel alloy, orelse aluminum or an aluminum alloy. The use of the reinforcement insertas an additional element by exposing the surface of a reinforcementinsert in the first connecting area accounts for a particularly simpleand cost-effective production of a profile strip arrangement.

In order to create an integral bond between the first connecting areaand the windshield, it is proposed that at least a partial area of thefree surface section is covered by an adhesive section that serves forpurposes of creating an adhesive connection to the edge area of thewindshield. It is possible for the adhesive section to be a free-flowingadhesive material that is applied onto the surface of the additionalelement in order to then be connected to the edge area of thewindshield.

It is especially preferable for the adhesive section to be in the formof a double-sided adhesive tape. Owing to the inventive exposure of asurface section in which there is no profile material, adhesive tapescan be employed in this area whose adhesive properties only need to beoptimized in terms of the surface of the additional element and in termsof the edge area of the windshield, but not in terms of the adhesivenessvis-à-vis the profile material of the profile strip. This allows the useof simple and inexpensive adhesive tapes.

The invention provides, according to an embodiment, a method with whicha profile strip arrangement of the type described above can be producedcost-effectively.

According to an embodiment, this is achieved in that the profile stripand the additional element are produced independently of each other andsubsequently joined together, especially glued and/or pressed together.

According to an embodiment, this is also achieved in that the materialof the profile strip is extruded, in that the additional element isintroduced during the extrusion of the profile material, and in that theprofile material solidifies when it is connected to the additionalelement, at least in certain sections.

Embodiments and advantages of the method according to the invention havealready been partially elaborated upon above. For this reason, referenceis hereby made to the description above, along with the followingadditions:

The production of the profile strip and of the additional elementindependently of each other followed by the joining of these parts isparticularly well-suited for profile strip arrangements in which theadditional element extends exclusively in the free surface section.

If the additional element is introduced during the extrusion of theprofile material, then the additional element is especially a continuousprofiled extrudate made of a metallic material, whereby the continuousextrudate passes through the extrusion die together with the profilematerial, so that the additional element as well as the profile stripcan be produced together with each other in a continuous process.

The profile strip arrangements shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 as well as 8 and 9are designated in their entirety by the reference numeral 10. Theprofile strip arrangements 10 each comprise a profile strip 12 that ismade of a profile material 14. The profile material 14 is a plastic, forexample, a polyvinyl chloride (PVC), blends of polyvinyl chloride andpoly(acrylonitrile-co-butadiene-co-styrene) (PVC/ABS) or especiallypolypropylene (PP).

The profile strips 12 each have a first connecting area 16 for purposesof creating a connection to a windshield 18 (see FIGS. 3 and 4), as wellas a second connecting area 20 to connect the profile strip 12 to a partthat is adjacent to the windshield 18, especially an air inlet panel.Such parts are disclosed, for example, in European patent application 2123 497 A1 and they have latching elements that latch into a U-shaped orV-shaped receiving space 22 of the second connecting area 20 so that thepart that is adjacent to the windshield can be attached to the profilestrip 12.

The profile strips 12 each have a central section 24 in order to connectthe first connecting area 16 and the second connecting area 20.

It is possible for the profile strips 12 to have additional functionalsections that are made of a material that differs from the profilematerial 14. Such functional sections can be, for instance, a supportsection 26 that supports the second connecting area 20 on a vehiclepart. It can also be, for example, a latching element 28 that isassociated with the second connecting area 20. It can also be a sealingelement 30 that serves to create a tightly sealed contact against awindshield and against the part that is adjacent to the windshield.

It is possible and preferred for the profile strips 12 to be reinforcedwith a reinforcement insert 32 along their extension between the firstconnecting area 16 and the second connecting area 20. The reinforcementinsert 32 is especially a profiled flat body made of steel, of a steelalloy, of aluminum or of an aluminum alloy.

It is also possible for a reinforcement insert to be associated only andexclusively with one connecting area 16 or 20, see FIG. 9, reinforcementinserts 34 and 36 there.

Moreover, in the case of an arrangement of a sealing element 30, it ispreferable for a carrier section 38 of the profile strip 12 that carriesthe sealing element 30 to be likewise reinforced with a reinforcementinsert 40.

When the windshield 18 is installed in a motor vehicle, it has a loweredge area 42 that interacts with the first connecting area 16 of theprofile strip 12. The edge area 42 has an outside 44, a face 46 and aninside 48; see FIGS. 3 and 4.

The first connecting area 16 of the profile strip 12 has at least alower connecting section 50 that interacts with the inside 48 of theedge area 42 of the windshield 18. It is possible to additionallyprovide a lateral connecting section 52 (see FIGS. 4 and 9) thatinteracts with the face 46 of the edge area 42 of the windshield 18.

It is also possible to provide an upper connecting section 54 thatinteracts with the outside 44 of the edge area 42 of the windshield 18,see FIG. 9.

In the first connecting area 16, the profile strips 12 have a surfacesection 58 that is free of profile material 14. The surface section 58is formed by a surface 60 of an additional element 62 or else by thesurface of a coating of the additional element 62 instead of the profilematerial 14.

In the state in which the edge area 42 of the windshield 18 is arrangedin or on the first connecting area 16, the surface 60 faces the edgearea 42. When the surface 60 is provided on the lower connecting section50, the surface 60 faces the inside 48 of the edge area 42 of thewindshield (see FIGS. 1 to 6 and 8). If the surface 60 is arranged on alateral connecting section 52, the surface 60 faces the face 46 of theedge area 42 of the windshield 18 (see FIGS. 4 and 9). If the surface 60is arranged on the upper connecting section 54 (see FIG. 9), the surface60 faces the outside 44 of the edge area 42 of the windshield 18.

The additional element 62 according to FIGS. 1 to 3 is an additionalelement that is provided separately from the reinforcement inserts 32,40 of the profile strip arrangements 10 and arranged at a distance fromthe reinforcement inserts 32, 40. This additional element 62 extendsexclusively in the free surface section 58.

The additional element 62 is especially a plane flat element. The flatelement is made of a metallic material, especially of steel or of asteel alloy or of aluminum or of an aluminum alloy. It can be the casethat the additional material 62 itself or else a coating of theadditional element 62 forms the surface 60.

For purposes of creating an integral bond between the additional element62 and the edge area 42 of the windshield 18, an adhesive section 64 isprovided that is especially in the form of a double-sided adhesive tape66. The adhesive tape 66 has adhesive sides facing away from each other.A first adhesive side interacts with the surface 60 of the additionalelement 62 while a second adhesive side facing away from the first sideinteracts with the inside 48 of the edge area 42 of the windshield 18.

It is possible for the profile strips 12 not to have any reinforcementinserts 32, 40. If at least one reinforcement insert 32, 40 is provided,it is preferable for such a reinforcement insert 32 and/or 40 to form anadditional element 62, and it is preferable for the profile strip 12 notto have an additional element 62 that is provided separately. Sucharrangements are depicted in FIGS. 4 to 6, 8 and 9.

For instance, a reinforcement insert 32 is provided which is embeddedinto the material 14 of the profile strip 12 (see FIG. 4). In a surfacesection 58, the surface 60 of the reinforcement insert 32 or of acoating of the reinforcement insert 32 is exposed, so that the surfaceof the reinforcement insert 32 or a coating of the reinforcement insert32 can be provided with an adhesive section 64, especially with adouble-sided adhesive tape 66.

Preferably, the top and the bottom of a free end 68 of the reinforcementinsert 32 are covered by profile material 14 and therefore at least apartial area of the reinforcement insert 32 is anchored in the profilematerial 14 of the profile strip 12. This applies in a correspondingmanner to a section 70 of the reinforcement insert 32 facing the secondconnecting area 20.

In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 4, the thickness of the profilematerial 14 varies along the extension of the lower connecting section50, as seen in the cross sectional direction.

It is likewise possible for the material thickness of the connectingsection 50 not to vary, whereby, at the same time, a reinforcementinsert 32 is employed as an additional element, see FIGS. 5, 6 and 8.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the reinforcement insert 32 thatforms an additional element 62 extends along a straight plane and inthis area, it is only covered with profile material 14 on one side. Inorder to improve the anchoring of the reinforcement insert 32 in theprofile material 14, it can be provided that the reinforcement insert 32has perforations 72, as a result of which the possibility is created forthe profile material 14 to penetrate into the reinforcement insert 32,see FIGS. 6 and 7. Preferably, the perforations 72 are associated withthe central section 24 of the profile strip 12.

Another preferred way for a reinforcement insert 32 that forms anadditional element to be anchored in the material 14 of the profilestrip 12 is for the bottom as well as the top of at least a free end 68and/or a section 70 of the reinforcement insert 32 that faces the secondconnecting area 20 to be covered with profile material 14, see FIG. 8.In this case, an additional element 62 can be created in that thereinforcement insert 32 is not embedded into the profile material 14along its entire extension from the free end 68 all the way to thesection 70, but rather, in that it is covered with profile material 14only on the bottom in the area of a free surface section 58. This can bedone, for example, in that the reinforcement insert 32 has an elevationalong its extension between the free end 68 and the section 70, so thatthe top of the reinforcement insert 32, which is opposite from thebottom, forms a surface 60 that is free of profile material 14. In thismanner, the reinforcement insert 32 forms an additional element 62 inthis area which preferably serves for the placement of a double-sidedadhesive tape 66 or on which a double-sided adhesive tape 66 is glued.

It is also possible for a reinforcement insert 34 to form a surface 60that is free of the profile material 14 along the entire extension of aconnecting section 50, 52 and/or 54, see FIG. 9. There, by way ofexample, the lateral connecting section 52 is completely free of profilematerial 14 and serves for the placement of an adhesive section 64. Insuch a case, it is preferable for the reinforcement insert 34 to beembedded in at least one adjacent section of the profile strip 12, forexample, in the lower connecting section 50 and/or in the upperconnecting section 54.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in thedrawings and foregoing description, such illustration and descriptionare to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive. Itwill be understood that changes and modifications may be made by thoseof ordinary skill within the scope of the following claims. Inparticular, the present invention covers further embodiments with anycombination of features from different embodiments described above andbelow. Additionally, statements made herein characterizing the inventionrefer to an embodiment of the invention and not necessarily allembodiments.

The terms used in the claims should be construed to have the broadestreasonable interpretation consistent with the foregoing description. Forexample, the use of the article “a” or “the” in introducing an elementshould not be interpreted as being exclusive of a plurality of elements.Likewise, the recitation of “or” should be interpreted as beinginclusive, such that the recitation of “A or B” is not exclusive of “Aand B,” unless it is clear from the context or the foregoing descriptionthat only one of A and B is intended. Further, the recitation of “atleast one of A, B and C” should be interpreted as one or more of a groupof elements consisting of A, B and C, and should not be interpreted asrequiring at least one of each of the listed elements A, B and C,regardless of whether A, B and C are related as categories or otherwise.Moreover, the recitation of “A, B and/or C” or “at least one of A, B orC” should be interpreted as including any singular entity from thelisted elements, e.g., A, any subset from the listed elements, e.g., Aand B, or the entire list of elements A, B and C.

1. A profile strip arrangement, comprising: a profile strip made of aprofile material, the profile strip having a first connecting area forcreating a connection to an edge area of a windshield of a motorvehicle, and having a second connecting area that is connectable to apart in the form of a water tray cover that is to be arranged adjacentto the windshield, wherein the first connecting area has at least onesurface section that is free of the profile material, the at least onesurface section facing the edge area of the windshield, and at least apartial area of the at least one surface section being covered by anadhesive section in the form of a double-sided adhesive tape whichprovides an adhesive connection to the edge area of the windshield, andwherein the at least one surface section of the first connecting area ofthe profile strip is formed by a surface of an additional element thatis made of metal or by a surface of a coating of the additional element.2. The profile strip arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the firstconnecting area has a lower connecting section which interacts with aninside of the edge area of the windshield, and/or wherein the firstconnecting area has a lateral connecting section that interacts with aface of the edge area of the windshield, and/or wherein the firstconnecting area has an upper connecting section that interacts with anoutside of the edge area of the windshield, and wherein the at least onesurface section is arranged on the lower connecting section and/or onthe lateral connecting section and/or on the upper connecting section.3. (canceled)
 4. The profile strip arrangement according to claim 1,wherein the second connecting area has a receiving space with a U-shapedor V-shaped profile for purposes of receiving a latching element of thewater tray cover.
 5. The profile strip arrangement according to claim 1,wherein the additional element extends exclusively in the at least onesurface section.
 6. The profile strip arrangement according to claim 1,wherein, in a partial section of the additional element, the bottom andthe top of the additional element are covered with the profile material.7. The profile strip arrangement according to claim 6, wherein thepartial section is formed by a free end of the additional element and/orby a section of the additional element facing the second connectingarea.
 8. The profile strip arrangement according to claim 1, wherein theprofile strip has a central section which connects the first connectingarea and the second connecting area to each other, and wherein theadditional element has openings in the form of perforations, in the areaof the central section.
 9. A profile strip arrangement according toclaim 1, wherein the additional element is formed by a reinforcementinsert that stiffens the profile strip. 10-13. (canceled)